Elevator safety and announcing device.



N s 4 PATENTED AUG. 11 1908.

8 G. H. POULKS.

ELEVATOR SAFETY AND ANNOUNGING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 10, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. v PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908. G. H. FOULKS.

ELEVATOR SAFETY AND ANNOUNGING DEVICE.

APPI ICATION FILED OGT.10, 1907.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

i To all whom it may concern:

GEORGE H. FOULKS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

ELEVATORSAFETY AND ANNOUNOING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed October 10, 1907. Serial No. 396,790.

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. FoULKs, citizen of United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Elevator Safety and Announcing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an automatic safety and announcing attachment for elevator cages.

It consists in the combination of parts, and in details of construction, which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the cage and its attachments. Fig. 2 is a similar sectional elevation taken transversely to the door opening of the elevator shaft. Fig. 3 is a bottom view showing a portion of the mechanism. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the latching mechanism disengaged. Fig. 5 is a detached view of the safety stop, Fig. 6 is a section through the star-wheel. Fig. 7 is an end view of same. Figs. 8 and 9 show the ratchet mechanism, and Fig. 10 is a rear view of the latch.

It is the object of my invention to provide a mechanism attached to elevator cages, which will automatically stop a car or cage which prematurely leaves a floor or station while receiving or discharging passengers. Other safety devices are used to protect people before or after entering the car, but my device will operate automatically when the car starts while the door is open, or when the controlling mechanism becomes out of order while receiving or discharging passengers, and its use will not delay traffic by requiring absolute precision, necessary to the operation of other safety locking devices.

As shown in the drawings,'A is an elevator cage moving in the usual shaft or well B, and O represents a door, opening through the wall of the shaft, and through which access may be had to, and exit from, the cage, when the latter is on a level with the floor. The cage is provided with safety clutches or latches 2, as plainly shown in Fig. 3, and these latches are forced outward to engage the notched receivers (Fig. 5) attached to the guide rails or equivalent stops between which the cage travels, so that if the cage suddenly leaves the station while the doors are either fully or partially opened, and passengers moving either in or out, the mechanism will be actuated so as to stop and lock the cage before it has proceeded far enough to cause any injury or damage. This mechanism is controlled as follows: The slidable bars 3 are movable in guides, as at 4, the bearings consisting of metalcovered hard rubber cushions, and are actuated by means of a fulcrumed lever 5, and universally jointed rods 6, and rod 6 connecting this lever with a double crankarm 7, suitably fulcrumed with relation to v the cage, and having the end opposite to its connection with the lever 5 connected with a spring and weight-actuated arm or rod 8. This rod is normally held in such position that the safety catches 2 are withdrawn from contact, and the cage may move freely but where the necessity occurs, the rod is released and the parts allowed to act automatically.

I have here shown two equivalent'means for actuating the slidable rod or bar, one being a spring 9, and the other a weight 10 carried by a bent lever 11, which is fulcrumed at 12, and has an upturned end engaging with a slot or channel in the rod 8. When spring 9 is compressed by lever 18 (which normally liesiiat on car floor) and theweighte'd lever 11 is simultaneously raised, the parts are held in position by means of a pivoted latch 13, one end of which acts to hold the rod 8 backwardly against the spring, and the other end is adapted to rest upon the intermediate points of a latch-wheel 14, which wheel or pinion is carried upon a vertical shaft or sleeve 15; and the parts remain thus supported until the necessity arises for disengaging them. This disengagement is effected by turning the vertical shaft sufficiently to allow the holding end of the latch 13 to fall between two of the arms, and, as it drops, it releases the spring 9 and the weighted arm 11, and their combined movement forces the rod or bar 8 to actuate the latches or clutches, as previously described. lVhen the parts are to be restored to their position, the conductor effects the same by means of lever 18 acting against rod 8, and a ring or lifter 16 connected by a flexible cord or chain 17 with the lever 11. By this means rod or bar 8 is pressed back and the weighted arm 11 is lifted and latch 13 restored and again engaged with one of the arms of the latchwheel 14, in which position it will remain until again released.

, The sleeve 15 is loosely turnable around a rod or shaft 20. The sleeve has a beveled pinion 21 fast upon its lower end, and the shaft 20 projects far enough below this pinion to carry an independently operated beveled pinion 22. This sleeve and shaft extend up through the interior of the cage at a convenient point, and the sleeve carries bevel gears at the upper end, which engage with mechanism actuated by other mechanism upon the door C; and through these connections the locking mechanism is disengaged, as before described, if the door is partly open when the cage leaves the floor. The shaft 20, carrying the beveled pinion 22, passes through the cage and connects with the shaft 30, by a beveled pinion which manipulates the sprockets 27 amt 2S and. chain 26, revolving the rollers 32 which display floor-announcing and advertising signs. The door .mechanism consists of arms 2-.t projecting from the door (l and foldable in one direction. These arms are in engagement with the coacting parts carried by the cage follows: When the door is closed, the first of a series of radially armed disks or star-wheels 25 will be engaged and will actuate an indicator 32 to show the diiferent floors. If the door is left slightly open, the arm or lug 24 will engage the next star-wheel 25 and will sound a warning bell If still further open, the next star-wheel 25 will be engaged, and will act to sound an alarm gong 36, while, if the door is so far opened as to leave a passage through which a person might try to pass, the last star-wheel 15 will be engaged, and this will actuate the stop or clutch mechanism. Four of these radially armed or star-wheel disks are here shown. They are all mounted upon a shaft 30, and the first one 25 is keyed to the shaft andv will always be revolved when the door is closed, and the cage is moved up or down, so as to indicate the number of the floor, or other desired information. The next two star-wheels are loosely turnable upon the shaft, and do not act when the door is properly closed. If by accident a door should be left slightly open or not fastened, when the car moves up or down, the arm 2% would be moved far enough. to engage the wheel 25 and this in turning would act through a press button 37 or equivalent device, to sound a warning bell 35. If the door should be still further open, but still short of actual danger, the arms 2et will ongage with and turn the wheel 2-5 which acting through. connection 38 will sound the larger alarm gong 36, as a danger signal to the operator.

1f the door is so far open that a passenger might attempt to enter or go out, or get caught in any way when. the car starts, through the fault of the conductor, or by reason of defective mechanism, the arms 24 will engage the wheel l5 which is mounted upon a sleeve 39 turnable upon the shaft 30. This sleeve carries a pinion 40, shown in Fig.

ceases 1, and through a short shaft 4'1 with pinions upon each end, the pinions 21 and 2] upon the bottom and top of the sleeve 15 will be turned to release the brake or stop mechanism, and stop the cage in time to prevent injury to the person who might attempt to pass after the cage had been started.

The star wheels may be associated with a suitable spring plate having a notch. For instance, in Fig. 9, :l. show the notched spring attached to the cage A so as to contact with the arms of the star-wheel 5, and permit this wheel to revolve one eighth of a revolution at each engagement with the arm 24-.

The star-disks or wheels above described are provided with ratchet pawls or equivalent clntches or devices, which allow each preceding disl: to turn independently of the others, but when the door has been opened far enough to engage with any wheel beyond the first, that wheel will, through its ratchet, engage and turn the preceding one so that the first wheel 25 will always be turned, and the connected parts will'partalie of its motionv By means of the sprockets 27--28 and the chain 26, motion is communicated to revolve one of the indicating rollers 32, and the shaft of this .roller may, if desired, carry pinions 32, through which and coacting pinions on other roller shafts, a series of rollers 32 extending around. the interior of the cage, may be revolved.

A hand-wheel 31 is fixed to the sleeve 1:) within convenient reach of the conductor within the cage, so that sleeve 15 operating latch-wheel 14, may be turned by hand, when. desired to operate the safety clutch or restore it after it has been put in operation.

Both of the engaging arms 24 are springpressed to project into the path of travel of the sprocket wheels, but they are so fulcrumed that one of them simply folds without acting when the cage is going up, and becomes .rigid when. the cage is coming down, the other acting in the opposite way; that is, it acts when the cage is going 11 p, and is inactive when the cage is coming down. These are always operated in conjunction with the first of the drums 25, which will be moved in unison with the movements of the cage. But if the dooris, as before stated, in an improper position, these arms 24 will be so shifted as to engage another of the drums, as 25 or 25" or 15, and these will also actuate the alarms or safety operating device.

The safety clutcn mechanism operates antomatically only when a car has rez'tched a point from ten to twenty inches above or below a floor, and before a considerable momentum has been attained, thereby avoiding a severe jar to the passengers, or requiring a heavy construction of the dii'l'erent parts; and. the notched plates designed to receive the clutches or latches need only be alt-inched to; the guide rails for a distance of about three feet above and below each floor landing.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In an elevator apparatus of the character described, the combination of a cage, a brake or stop mechanism carried thereby, doors in the elevator well, and devices carried by the doors, said devices acting automatically when they are brought into the closed to apply said brake and stop the cage.

In an elevator apparatus of the character described, a cage, a brake or stop mechanism carried upon the cage, doors in the elevator well, lugs or arms projecting from the doors, revolvable star-wheels u on the cage, engageable by the lugs, said evices acting automatically, when the car moves up or down and the door is not fully closed, and a device within the car operated by the conductor, for the purpose of applying said brake to stop the cage.

4. In an elevator apparatus of the cnaracter described, the combination with notched receivers or guide rails, of a cage, a brake or stop mechanism carried upon the cage having a bar with elastic bearings to relieve the jar when said brake or stop mechanism is brought in contact with the notched receivers or guide rails, doors in the elevator well, and devices carried by the doors, said devices acting when the door is not fully closed to apply said brake or stop mechanism, and sto the cage.

5. In an elevator apparatus of t e charac ter described, a cage, a stop or brake mechanism carried u on the ca e, a latching device whereby said stop medhanism is normally held out of engagement, disengaging devicesupon the cage contiguous to t e wall of the elevator shaft, a door in said shaft, and lugs projecting from the door adapted to disengage the latching device and apply the stop mechanism when the door is not fully closed.

6. In an elevator cage mechanism, a cage, spring and weighted-actuated stops, a means for normally holding said stops out of engagement, a latch-wheel carried under the cage having connection with the stop-actuating mechanism, doors slidable in the wall of the elevator well, through which doors access is had to orfrom the cage, lugs carried by said doors star-wheels attached to said cage and alarms actuated by said lugs pro jecting from said doors, normally in line with the star-wheels and operating the indicator only when the door is fully closed, said lugs being brought into line to engage the starwheels controlling the alarms, and then to engage the star-wheel when the door is left partially open.

7. In an elevator apparatus of the character described a cage, a stop or brake mechanism carried by the cage, a slidable spring and weighkacruated bar connected Vf'l h the s op mechanism, a la ch-wheel, a lal ch engageable wilh said laLch-vrheel lo normally hold lhe slopmechanism out of action, a revolvable shaft upon which the latch-wheel is carried, gears by which said shaft is urnable lo disengage ihe latching mechanism from the lalclrwheel, a slar-wheel and infer-mediate mechanism by which the shafi may be turned lherefrom, slidable doors al Lhe entrances of t he eleva"v or shaft, and lugs carried uponsaid doors, out of line of engagemenl Willi ihe sLar-wheel con'rolling the s'op mechanism when he door is closed, said lugs being broughl in 0 line with such s1 ar-vilteel when the door has been left parially open, whereby the stop mechanism will be aclualed.

8. In an elevalor appara' us of lhe charac- 'i er described a cage, a shaft verically journaled within he cage and a sleeve independen 1y turnable upon said shall, a latch-v heel carried by the sleeve, a pressure aciua'ied stop or brake mechanism, a latch engaging a point in he lalch-vheel whereby he slop mechanism is normally held out of engagemeni, a star-wheel journaled upon the cage, intermediate mechanism whereby the sleeve and conlrolling latch-wheel may be turned to release the latch and brake mechanism, entrance doors in the wall of the elevator well, and spring-pressed foldable lugs upon the top and bottom of said doors, normally out of line with the journaled star-wheel, one of said lugs being capable of engaging the starwheel when the cage is moving upward, and the other when the cage is moving downwardly.

9. In an elevator mechanism of the character described, a vertically movable cage, horizontally slidable entrance doors in the wall of the elevator well, lugs carried by said doors projecting into the path of movement of the cage, star-wheels journaled horizontally upon the cage, one of said wheels being engaged and turned by the lugs as the cage passes, an announcing cylinder with intermediate connections whereby it is turned in unison with the movement of the star-wheel, other star-wheels mounted in line with the firs' -named wheel so as to be engaged by the door lugs when the door has been left partially closed, a brake or stop mechanism car riedupon the cage, a shaft, a latching device whereby the stop mechanism is held in dis- 1' he brake mechanism when he door is sutlicienily open to engage he las' of said s'iarwheels.

10. The combination with. an elevator cage, its well and entrance doors, of lugs or arms projecting from the doors, a series of independently revolvable star-wheels upon the cage, engageable by the lugs, and indicating and alarm devices with connections by which said devices may be separately actuated.

11. The combination with an elevator cage, its well and entrance doors, of lugs or arms projecting from the doors, a series of independently revolvable star-wheels upon the cage, engageable by the lugs, and indicating, alarm, and stop devices with connections by which said devices may be separately actuated.

12. The combination with an elevator cage, its well and. entrance doors, of lugs or arms projecting from the doors, a series of independently revolvable star-wheels upon the cage, engageable by the lugs, and indicating, alarm and stop devices with connections by which said devices may be separately actuated, in combination with a shaft vertically j ournaled within the cage with a handle within reach of the conductor, and connected with the stop device.

13. The combination with an elevator cage, its well and entrance doors, of lugs or arms projecting from the doors, a series of independently revolvable star-wheels turnably mounted upon the cage, and successively enaeaeas gageable by the lugs when a door is increasingly opened, an indicator actuated by the j first wheel, an alarm by the following wheels, and a brake or stop mechanism by the last wheel.

14. The combination with an. elevator cage; its well and entrance doors; of lugs or arms projecting from the doors; independently turnable star-wheels carried upon the with different openings 01 a door; ndicating, alarm and stop mechanisms, connections by which each is actuated from its connected wheel, and pawl and ratchet devices whereby motion of succeeding disks is communicated to preceding ones.

15. The combination with an. elevator cage, its well and entrance doors, ol' lugs or arms projecting from the doors and loldable in op osite directions, sets of turnable starwhee s carried upon the upper and lower part ol' the cage, mechanism by which successive members of both sets are connected with sues cessive indicating, alarm, and brake or stop devices, the members of one being actuated. by the rigid door lug and passed by the loldable lug when the cage is moving in one direction, and the other set being actuated by the other lug when the cage moves in an opposite direction.

in testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence ol two subscribing wiinesses.

GEORGE Tl. FO UIJKS.

\Vitnesses:

ino. H. S'rnoao, F, E. l l AYNARD.

cage and successively engageable by the lugs 

